We spend our lives anticipating, and trying to protect against, loss and change. We're afraid of things changing - of losing something we have or not getting something we want.

Recognizing impermanence, the concept that nothing is permanent, is about being present with what is. Everything is transient; it really is. Anything can happen at anytime. And nothing remains the same forever, it's always changing.

At first, this can seem frightening, but really it means that you don't have to live in this protected shield trying to keep things from happening. You don't know what will happen, you can't possibly know, and it's not your place to know. So when things do happen, you accept it.

Here is my personal attempt to challenge my own system of denial and turn toward a more holistic approach, acknowledging the important and intricate connection between our diets and our mood. We are learning so much about our gut health and the connection to everything else in our body. This post will touch the surface of a robust conversation about the microbiome and chronic inflammation in our gut and its relation to our mental health.

I invite you to follow the example of the great teacher of soul, Socrates, and do something concrete to introduce soul into your life. Socrates writes about the Greek therapeia, which means either "care" or "service." He says that it's like the care you'd give a horse on a farm: you feed it, brush it down, exercise it, give it water, and clean its stall. That's the model for therapy of the soul. It's an everyday attention to specific needs, not a cure or repair after things have fallen apart. Its goal is not to make life problem-free, but to give ordinary life the depth and value that come with soulfulness.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)As I've discussed before, trauma can have a devastating effect on the mind and body. EMDR is one of the most widely used and successful treatments for addressing this kind of impact.

However, you do not have to undergo an overtly distressing event for it to affect you. An accumulation of smaller “everyday” or less pronounced events can still be traumatic: conflict in relationships, an emotionally distant parent or partner, racial / sexual discrimination. EMDR can help you overcome experiences like these, which may lead to persistent negative beliefs such as, "I don't belong," "I have to be perfect," or "I'm worthless."

EMDR is related to the process that happens when we dream, known as REM sleep. Learn more about how we activate this bilateral stimulation in the brain.

The Law of Attraction is responding to your thoughts and to how you feel. If things are going well for you, keep focusing on the good things and the wellbeing will continue. But if there are things happening that are not pleasing, you must find a way of taking your attention away from those unwanted things. You have the ability to change your patterns of thought.

There is nothing wrong with identifying a problem and looking for solutions. But many people become problem-oriented rather than solution-oriented, which continues to perpetuate the problem. Continuing to focus on complaints disallows improvement. The best way to accomplish an improved environment is to focus upon the best things in your current situation. When you do this, you are in alignment with your best self. And when you are in alignment with your best self, you cannot help but uplift those with whom you come in contact. Your value to those around you can hinge on one thing: your personal alignment with yourself.

HOW TO LIVE IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOURSELF:

Do what you can to feel better, but don't force yourself to feel better

Say no to things that really aren't what you want, knowing what you do want will come along

Believe you can have what you want

Willingness to believe things can be different & believe there are forces happening behind the scenes which you cannot conceive or begin to understand - and that you don't need to understand. There are infinite ways for things to come together.

Find ways to enjoy the process as it unfolds, rather than obsessing about how you'll get what you want & when that will be